When people enjoy the outdoors, such as having a picnic in the countryside or going to the seashore, they often take with them an outdoor umbrella to provide a retreat and shade from the rays of the sun. Outdoor umbrellas generally consist of a retractable umbrella top attached to a post. The post is inserted into the ground by gripping the post and relying on arm strength to forcefully insert the post into the earth. Typical ground conditions for such an outdoor activity may include sand at the beach, lawn in a backyard, or other soil conditions at other picnic locations. These ground conditions are sometimes very compact requiring a great deal of arm strength and effort to obtain insertion of the post into the ground. In very compact ground conditions only a shallow insertion can be achieved. Alternatively, the user may carry with them a shovel or other digging device to create a hole in the ground and then fill the hole back in once the umbrella is inserted. A shallow insertion of the post into the ground creates the risk that the umbrella may tip over under its own weight or that in breezy conditions, or sudden wind gusts the umbrella may be ripped out of the ground and strike person, let alone the inconvenience of having to chase the umbrella down. The shovel solution only adds to the amount and weight of baggage which a person must transport with them on their excursion. And, even the shovel solution may not provide enough compactness around the post of the umbrella to firmly secure it in the earth enough to withstand breezy conditions or sudden wind gusts.
There have been several attempts at developing outdoor umbrellas which are easier for the user to insert in the earth, that is which don't rely so greatly on arm strength and effort to push the post into the ground. There have also been several attempts at anchoring umbrellas into the ground in a secure manner. Again, the purpose for anchoring umbrellas, such as beach umbrellas and lawn umbrellas, securely in the ground is to prevent the unwanted dislodgement of these umbrellas. One example of such unwanted dislodgement can occur in windy or stormy conditions. Under these conditions, air currents can catch hold of the umbrella tearing the same from the ground. Umbrellas without anchoring devices can generally be easy ripped from the ground under these conditions. This results in a great deal of inconvenience to anyone relying on the umbrella for shade, and may present a safety risk in crowded places where a blowing umbrella could injure people in its path. Another example of the unwanted dislodgement of umbrellas includes the dislodgement of the umbrella under its own weight. For instance, beach goers typically insert beach umbrellas into the sand by first applying weight and pressure to the umbrellas post in an effort to shove the post into the sand. In the case of loose sand, it may not be difficult to insert the post to a reasonable depth within the sand. However, in such loose sand, the weight of the umbrella top, itself, may cause the umbrella to tip over freeing the umbrella from its insertion in the sand. Alternatively, in the case of compact sand, it may be significantly more difficult to insert the post to a reasonable depth within the sand. In this case as well, the weight of the umbrella top itself can cause the umbrella to tip over easily freeing the umbrella from its shallow insertion in the sand. Both cases, present added inconvenience to the user trying to position the umbrella to obtain shade. Additionally, even if the umbrella does not tip over under its own weight, such a shallow insertion into the sand leaves the umbrella much more vulnerable to being ripped from the ground by wind and breezes as mentioned above.
One attempt to resolve the above described problems is provided in U.S. Pat. No. 5,046,699 to Perreault et al. The Perreault patent discloses an anchoring device for an umbrella post. The anchoring device includes a screw member attached to a lower end of the umbrella post, which screw member can be rotationally driven into the ground for the purpose of securing the umbrella in place. Unfortunately, the device described by Perreault involves one or more separate attachments to an umbrella. Like carrying a separate shovel, this solution only adds to the amount and weight of baggage which a person must transport with them on their excursion. Typically, a beachgoer is already heavily laden with items such as beach chairs, umbrella, cooler, towels, and other beach toys when walking to the beach. Thus, any additional items to keep up with present an added hassle. Each additional item makes the outdoors travelers baggage more weighty and cumbersome. Attaching such separate parts to the umbrella further presents an added time delay to the beachgoer beginning their relaxation and enjoyment of the shore or other outdoor activity. In at least one embodiment of the Perrault patent, the device may even require additional tools for the fastening of a bolt across the umbrella post and the external tubular sleeve. Further, the device described in Perrault relies solely and entirely on a set of handles as the only means for turning a screw member of the hollow, external tubular member/sleeve, in which an umbrella post is inserted, to obtain insertion into the ground. Thus, any downward pressure for driving the tubular member into the ground while turning the screw must come entirely from the individual's arms and upper body strength. For younger individuals or those who are less muscularly developed the reliance solely and entirely on the set of handle can still prove too difficult a challenge to muster enough downward force in those cases where the ground is comprised of compact dirt or sand.
In another embodiment of Perrault, the screw member and handle are two separately detachable parts. As mentioned above the screw member may require additional tools to attach requiring more baggage and consuming more leisure time. Also in this embodiment, the handles rely solely on a frictional grip to grab the umbrella post. In many instances this solution may not prove secure enough to obtain the necessary force to insert the post into the ground. In other words, the handle portion always possesses the inherent possibility of slipping along the umbrella post from the force of any downward pressure applied to the handle set. These factors can further complicate any effort to insert, position, and stabilize the umbrella in the ground, again adding to the individual's inconvenience.
Another approach is provided in U.S. Pat. No. 5,482,246 to Derkoski. The Derkoski patent appears to provide improvements over the device described in the above patent to Perrault. In Derkoski, reference is made to the Perrault and other attempts at anchoring umbrellas into the ground in a secure manner. The Derkoski patent describes the prior art attempts as generally effective in securing an umbrella post into dirt, or into sand on calm days, but that they provide less than adequate results on windy days. Specifically, the Derkoski patent describes the prior art, such as Perrault, as susceptible to being easily ripped out of sand or loose dirt if an umbrella secured thereby is subjected to windy conditions. Accordingly, the Derkoski patent goes on to describe an anchoring device having an auger circumferentially disposed around the device. The auger preferably includes a radially outward edge which is upwardly curved to give the auger a generally scoop-shaped configuration in an effort to firmly hold earthen material. Nonetheless, the Derkoski device like the Perrault patent suffers from a number of inherent drawbacks.
In Derkoski, one embodiment is described as a shaft having a first longitudinal end, a second longitudinal end, and a given length, said second longitudinal end being adapted to accommodate a beach umbrella post. In other words, the anchoring device is separate from the umbrella. At least one handle is coupled to the separate shaft. A spiral-shaped member is connected to, and extends beyond the first longitudinal end of the shaft, and outwardly a first distance therefrom, to facilitate entry of the anchoring device into the ground. Further, an auger is disposed circumferentially around the shaft and has a curved bottom edge to facilitate entry of the auger into the ground, the auger having an upwardly curved radial outward edge to form a scooped-shaped configuration to firmly hold earthen material in a manner which restricts withdrawal of said auger from the ground. Also, the auger extends outwardly from the shaft a second distance greater than said first distance. And, a means is necessary for fastening the shaft to the umbrella post.
As mentioned above, this described embodiment suffers from a number of the same shortcomings described in connection with the Perrault device. That is, the Derkoski umbrella adds additional item(s) to the cumbersome baggage which the outdoors goer already has to transport. Additionally, the device if metal can be quite weighty. Further, with just handles, the device still relies entirely on the arm strength of the user to provide the downward force, turning the spiral-shaped member and the auger into the ground. However, the addition of the auger to the Derkoski umbrella requires an additional magnitude of force to lodge the auger into the ground and creates an additional sharp edged protrusion which reduces the umbrellas compactness for ease of transport.
In another embodiment of Derkoski, the anchoring device is described as having the same components, but with all of the components being integral with the umbrella. While this embodiment may avoid the burden of having an additional members to carry, it still presents a cumbersome situation since the auger extends rather awkwardly from the umbrella making the overall diameter of the umbrella unsuited to transporting in a carrying case. This is further compounded by the fact that the handles in Derkoski are in no way retractable. In addition, the fact that the handles are not retractable presents the inconvenience that the handles can easily poke, snag, or otherwise interfere with a person moving or situated under and around the umbrella. Also, as before, the only mechanism for applying downward force and inserting the auger into the ground must come from arm strength applied to the handles.
Accordingly, as will be apparent from reading the above description, a structure for outdoor umbrellas is still needed which affords improved ability to secure the umbrella into the earth. A structure for an umbrella is desired which affords stability and flexible positioning of the umbrella, such as on an angle, while still being able to withstand stormy and windy conditions without being unearthed. Likewise, it is desirable that the improved umbrella structure be such that the umbrella is light and manageable to transport without requiring separate components or tools. And finally, it is desirable to develop an improved outdoor umbrella which incorporates all of the above traits and provides a means for inserting the umbrella into the ground without having to rely entirely on the arm strength of an individual and in which the insertion aid does not remain an obstacle or hindrance which could poke, snag or otherwise interfere with a person moving or situated under and around the umbrella.